Dates: 1943 - 1944
HMS Lawford (K514) was a Captain class frigate built in the US, as a unit of the Evarts class, and commissioned during November 1943. Complement as a frigate: 170.
She was converted into an HQ ship for the Normandy landings. Complement: 240.
HMS Lawford led a column of 10 cross channel ferries carrying Canadian assault troops and took up her position at J1 sector of Gold Beach, reaching Corseulles-sur-Mer at first light on D Day.
Lawford was then designated as command ship for patrol activity off Normandy once the troops had established themselves ashore
On 8 June 1944, whilst operating off Juno Beach, she was hit by enemy fire during an air attack and sunk. There were 37 fatalities, including 24 of her crew. The Royal Navy’s damage summary report states that the ship was hit by an "aerial torpedo", which has been taken to mean a torpedo dropped from an aircraft. However, a survey of the wreck undertaken as part of a TV series found evidence that the vessel was broken up and sunk by an internal explosion, indicating a hit from one or more bombs or from an early guided missile such as an Hs-293 or (less likely) a Fritz X.
Association:
Captain Class Frigate Association
Website: http://www.captainclassfrigates.co.uk/
Contact: webmaster@peter-tynan.org
Memorial:
On April 17, 2005 a memorial to the Captains and those that served on them was dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas, Staffordshire.
